Red Dead Redemption 2: Everything we know so far

Rockstar’s Wild West wonderland now has a 2018 release date…

04 February 2018by Stuff Staff

The Old West is about to get a fresh coat of paint.

Rolling off the success of 2013’s Grand Theft Auto V, our pick for the company’s best game ever, Rockstar Games has just revealed Red Dead Redemption 2. And if you didn’t play the previous entry, well, it’s our #2 favourite Rockstar game on a list full of incredible games.

Red Dead Redemption 2 looks to take the first game’s GTA-gone-West approach to incredible new heights, with dazzling scenery, surely-stunning atmosphere, and an expanded multiplayer approach. Given how well GTA5 landed, our expectations are off the charts.

Just catching up now? Here’s the latest – and check back regularly, as we’ll be keeping this space updated as new details and leaks emerge.

WHAT WE KNOW

>>> It’s actually a prequel

As hinted in the first trailer, we now know that Red Dead Redemption 2 will indeed be a prequel to the previous game. You’ll play as Arthur Morgan, a real mean dude and a member of the Van Der Linde gang. As you might remember, RDR hero John Marston was once a member of that gang before they left him for dead. And ol’ Dutch van der Linde is here, as well. The Guardian suggests that it might be set in 1906 – five years before Redemption.

>>> It’s coming in October 2018 to consoles

Rockstar says that Red Dead Redemption 2 will be out on 26 October 2018, to be precise. That’s a Friday, so time to put in that holiday request.

That’s a fair bit later than the original autumn 2017 planned release date (followed by a Spring 2018 one), but Rockstar says it’s needed ‘a little extra time for polish’.

There’s currently no sign of a PC version. The previous game was also console-exclusive, although Rockstar’s had a habit of announcing (and releasing) PC versions of the GTA games after the fact. Hopefully that’s the case here, as well.

>>> The multiplayer is expanded

According to Rockstar, “the game’s vast and atmospheric world will also provide the foundation for a brand new online multiplayer experience.” Given how popular, great, and well-supportedGrand Theft Auto Online has been with GTA5, this doesn’t surprise us at all. The second trailer also shows a couple of big action moments that hint at potential heists like those in Grand Theft Auto V. Wouldn’t that be a treat?

>>> Expect new ways to kill

The second trailer shows Morgan with a bow and arrow in the forest for hunting, which would add a new wrinkle to the series beyond simply wielding firearms. And on that note, another scene sees him dual-wielding pistols, which ought to be a fun addition as well.

>>> PS4 gets bonus goodies

Sorry, Xbox fans: Rockstar is another publisher that has signed up with Sony to give PlayStation 4 owners extra perks. According to a PlayStation.Blog post, PS4 players will “get first access to earn select online content” in the game. It doesn’t sound like that content will be fully exclusive, but that players can unlock it earlier on PS4. In any case, a new perk for Sony console owners.

ALL THE LATEST NEWS

Red Dea

Curious where all of those tidbits above came from? Here are all of the news stories, rumours, and leaks we’ve tracked over the past several months.

> 1 February 2018

It’s officially delayed (again): Rockstar says we’ll see the game on 26 October now, instead of sometime this spring.

> 29 September 2017

Rockstar’s second trailer spilled a lot more details about the lead character, when the game takes place, and what you’ll be doing throughout this gorgeous terrain.

> 20 October 2016

It’s arguably a teaser more than a full trailer, as we come away knowing nothing exact about the timeframe, setting, or storyline, but Rockstar’s first solid glimpse of the game is absolutely smashing. Just soak up that Wild West atmosphere, all captured in-engine by the PlayStation 4. We can’t wait to see more of this stunner.

> 18 October 2016

Red Dead Redemption 2 is official: Rockstar just announced the game following a couple of Twitter teases, calling it “an epic tale of life in America’s unforgiving heartland.” It’s coming to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in autumn 2017, and the first trailer is coming on 20 October.

> 18 April 2016

A Red Dead Redemption sequel has been rumoured for years now, and the game’s world map has reportedly leaked: the image first appeared on NeoGAF, but TechRadar has confirmed its authenticity with an independent source. According to the site, it shows an area due east of the world from the first game, with clues suggesting that the game may be a prequel.

> 1 February 2018

Rockstar has announced the release date for Red Dead Redemption 2: October 26th 2018. This follows original release date for autumn 2017 and spring 2018, but the specifity of this one means it’s unlikely to budge. We’ve also been treated to a bunch of new screenshots (see below).